


Guess this is your Reckoning

by AuthorInDistress



Series: Inhibitions [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Male-Female Friendship, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slut Shaming, Victim Blaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-06-17 03:52:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15452769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorInDistress/pseuds/AuthorInDistress
Summary: Following on from the events of 'Guess This Is Our Reward', Tony makes the difficult decision to take the Avengers to Court for what they did to him.Sequel toGuess This Is Our Reward.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Due to a massive ask for a sequel, I present to you this long-awaited chapter for one.
> 
>  **Warning** : This does deal with rape and rape aspects so if this upsets you, please do not read.
> 
> There are also mentions of underage rape and suicide.

Routine had used to be something detestable. He’d hated doing things in a mind-numbing repeat, the same work day-after-day, but that had all changed and people changed and routines were now something of a lifesaver instead.

Routines let him know where people would be at certain times, and what areas to avoid and when, and knowing he had a diary and could be surrounded by those he trusted most of the day was a relief.

He couldn’t run forever though and he knew that but a reprieve was nice.

“Hey, Tony,” Natasha greeted him in the morning, sliding into a seat at the table and pulling the jug of juice toward her, “Will we be seeing you today?”

He looked up from his tablet, giving her a smile, “Probably not. Unless there’s a sudden evil menace downtown, I’m in office all day.”

“Right. Fair enough.” She sipped at her juice, “I need to be in SHIELD today anyway, we have an update on our security processes.” She sighed, “Mostly webinars and lectures.”

“And who says being a spy isn’t fun,” Tony murmured absently, already back to his work. His watch beeped then and he realised that he was running late, pushing his chair back and standing with his tablet still in hand. He knocked into the table as he walked by however and almost dropped it, checking himself and stopping.

Natasha had automatically put out a hand to help and he jerked aside to avoid it, “Sorry.” He mumbled, “Wasn’t paying attention.” He gave her another quick smile and left the room, rubbing his hip where he felt a bruise forming. He really did bruise far too easily but at least they faded sooner rather than later.

He skimmed a hand over his thigh, biting his lip. Some of them did anyway.

Pepper was at her desk when he arrived and she wordlessly handed him a folder as he passed while on the phone to someone else, balancing the receiver over her shoulder as she typed.

“Yes Mr Stark is here, Mrs Gallagher, but he’s in meetings all day. I can take a message for you but it’ll be easier to attend the function Thursday evening and ask him directly – ” She stopped when Tony paused in the doorway and mouthed _no_ at her, shaking his head hard enough to be spotted, “Oh. No, I’m sorry, I just realised he won’t be free that evening either. A message _is_ the easiest option.” She nodded as she took the message down, humming a few times, before finally putting the phone back in it’s slot.

“Sorry,” Tony said, leaning against the door, “I’m not doing functions for a while, remember. Just tell them I’ll – I don’t know, I’ll get back to them.”

“You never get back to them, Tony,” She sighed, “And they just call back again angrier than they were the first time and I have to deal with it.”

He frowned, “I’ll do better,” He promised, “I listen to my diary now. See.” He pointed at the clock and then opened his calander up on his phone’s holographic screen, “It’s 7:40. And here I am.”

She smiled, unimpressed but fond, “How about I just pass the phone to you the next time someone’s angry and you’ve forgotten to call. Hm?”

He shrugged, “Okay.”

“Good. There’s a message waiting for you on voicemail 2 when you get in.” She said, cheerily, “I told him you’d be here soon and that you’ll call him back.”

He gave her a look, “You knew I’d agree so went ahead and passed a call _before_ I said yes?” He checked and she nodded.

“I’m efficient.”

“Yeah alright,” He rolled his eyes, shutting his door after him and taking a seat at his desk. There was a flash on the phone indicating said message and he let it play aloud as he took his jacket off and draped it over the back of his chair.

_Hi Tony, it’s Jack. Jack Bishop. You said you’d call Wednesday but it’s now Monday so I thought maybe you were dead or ignoring me. It’s hard to tell with that side-job of yours._

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened. Jack Bishop was an old client of Stark Industries and he owned a chain of nightclubs. He was also cold, rude and obnoxious to a much higher degree than most of the other rich men Tony knew.

 _I needed to get these documents out soon as, which kinda meant I needed your signature last week and they’re overdue now so we could be penalised. If you’re not too_ busy, _I’d love a call back. You got my number._

It was a lot politer than he’d been expecting but if he waited even longer to call then it wouldn’t be, so he lifted his phone up to dial in Jack’s number with a groan, making a face as it rang.

It was answered after 5 bells. “Jack Bishop speaking.”

“Hi Jack, it’s Tony.”

“Hey!” He yelled it down the phone and Tony winced, “He lives!”

“Sorry I didn’t get back to you before, some things came up and I had to – ”

“Listen, you approve these documents and get them sent out, I don’t care if you were having sex the entire time you were ignoring me.” Tony froze, his heart suddenly jolting as though he’d just fallen 50 feet, “It’s just the taxation forms and the references I need.” Jack continued, oblivious, “You should already have them all in your inbox but if you need them again, shout. God knows it’ll be a nightmare going through it all now that you’re back.”

“Yeah.” Tony said softly, clearing his throat and logging into his computer, “Yeah I’ll get them to you today Jack, no worries.”

“Hey, thanks.” Jack said, “And listen. Apologise to your secretary or whatever will you? I kind of chewed her out when she said you weren’t there yet.”

“She’s my assistant CEO, not a secretary Jack, and you can apologise to her yourself if you really feel bad.”

“Why’s she answering your calls if she’s an Assis. CEO?” Jack scoffed and Tony grit his teeth.

“We’re stretched thin at the moment.” He said, “A lot’s been happening and it’s hard being a secretary in this business. We need someone good.”

_Someone who won’t stab me in the neck as well._

“Well I’ve got tonnes of gals I know that would jump at the opportunity,” Jack laughed, “Just let me know.”

“I don’t need your strippers Jack, thanks,” Tony said, pursing his lips.

“Okay, wow. You sick? Time was you’d jump at that.”

“Times change.” Tony snapped before righting himself and calming, “Thanks but no thanks for the offer Jack. We’ll manage. I’ll get the documents to you today.”

“Yeah sure, whatever,” Jack murmured, “I’ll look for your email.” He disconnected the line and Tony slumped forward to put his head on his desk.

A few moments later, he straightened and searched through his inbox, finding Jack’s emails and reading through them to give his approval.

He was engrossed in a fifteen page ‘request for clean energy lighting’ form when a hand touched his shoulder and he lurched to the side and fell off of his chair. Pepper put a hand to her mouth in surprise, trying to help him up.

“Oh Tony, sorry – sorry, I thought you were ignoring me, I didn’t – ” She put a hand on him again but he slapped it away and she held it to her chest, looking wounded, “Tony?”

He swallowed a few times, sitting up slowly, “Yeah. Sorry. You okay?” He asked, using his fallen chair to help him stand before righting it and sliding it under the desk.

“I’m fine. … are _you?”_ She approached him and he took a step back, smiling at her.

“Yeah I’m fine.” He parroted, “You just startled me. Sorry for – ” He nodded at her hand but even with his smile, he knew she wasn’t convinced, “I’m fine. Really.”

“You know it’s okay if you’re not,” Pepper said and he nodded.

“Yeah. I know. I’m just – after that fight you know, I’ve just been – skittish I guess? I don’t know.” He made a face, “I’ll be okay.”

“Should you go to the hospital?”

“No there’s no injuries anymore, I’m okay,” He put his hands on her shoulders, directing her out of the room, “I’m fine Pepper, seriously. Go do some work.” After a moment, she let him urge her away and stepped out of the office.

“I came in to let you know Maria Hill is here by the way,” She mentioned as she shut the door, “But I can tell her to leave.”

It was tempting. Really tempting. But he couldn’t avoid the Avenger-side to his work forever.

“No.” He said, “Let her in.”

He half expected Hill to delve right into funding or PR issues but instead she took a seat and stared at him for a good few seconds as though he’d organised this meeting instead of her. When she folded her arms across her chest expectantly, he rolled his eyes.

“What is this about Hill?” He asked, scowling, “I’ve got a lot on my plate and I don’t have time for a staring contest.”

“Have you.” She said, her face stony and cold.

“Yeah,” He pressed, glaring now, “I have.”

“Right.” She scoffed and he clenched his hands at her sheer rudeness, “Okay Stark, I’m going to be very frank with you,” She said before he could say anything himself, leaning forward in her seat to rest her hands on his desk.

“Please.” He snapped.

“Your diary went from clear to full in four days,” She said and he felt himself grow cold at the insinuation that she had access to his life, “And most of your ‘scheduled’ appointments were booked in by you. You made _yourself_ busy and yet you haven’t been at an Avengers debrief in two weeks.”

“I went to one last Thursday,” He corrected, “When we actually needed to have a debrief. There’s no point to one if nothing has happened.”

“Wrong,” She said, “There is always something happening and Romanov and Barton are agents of SHIELD first and Avengers second. They have missions and reports and you need to be there to listen to them.”

“Or what?” He hissed, his skin tight under his suit.

She gave him a dark look, “Or you’re no longer a consultant. And you’re no longer part of the team. If you can’t act it, you’re out.” She said it like it was a threat but honestly, if he didn’t need to quit himself, it was more of a relief than anything else.

“Fine.” He said coolly, “Was that all?”

Hill looked taken aback, sliding her hands off of the desk and into her lap, “So that’s it? You don’t care about fighting anymore?”

“I don’t need to be an _Avenger_ to fight,” He said, “I was Iron Man before, I can be Iron Man after.”

“We’ll make life hell for you if you get in the way.”

“Life’s already hell, Hill,” He told her, “Now I’ll ask again because I really am busy. Was that all?”

Looking at him for a long moment she frowned, her coldness seeping into curiosity, “Something’s happened, hasn’t it.” She concluded, “Are you dying again?”

“No.” He said, standing and heading for the door to open it and hint strongly that she should leave, “But thank you for the concern. Now get out.”

She didn’t move. “I was under the impression the team had gotten closer after your last PR event but if there are issues within rank, we need to know about it.”

“Only issue I have right now is you not leaving when I’ve asked you to, three times,” Tony said and right as he’d hoped her to, Pepper stepped up from behind him.

“Is there a problem?” She asked, ever professional but she knew Tony rarely got this angry and there was always a good reason for it, “Ms Hill, your car is waiting outside if the meeting’s over.”

Aware she’d be causing a fuss if she didn’t go now, Hill stood and tucked her chair in. She stepped around Pepper, her hand brushing against Tony’s as she passed, and he tried not to but couldn’t help the automatic reaction he now had. He flinched, jerking his hand back and into his pocket.

Hill gave him a long look and then walked out of the office and through the double doors toward the elevator. Pepper watched her go and then crossed to her desk to pick up her phone.

“Hi Henry, it’s Pepper,” She said once she’d dialled to the main reception, “Ms Hill is now leaving. Please make sure she does so immediately.”

Tony stared at her with such an immense gratitude that she blushed from its intensity, “Thanks Pep.”

“What was that all about?” She asked, crossing toward the water cooler and pouring a glass in one of its plastic cups. She handed it to Tony and he downed it in one gulp.

“I’m apparently fired as consultant.” He told her, “And as an Avenger.”

“That’s not Hill’s decision.” She reminded him but he only shrugged.

“If Fury agrees to it then it is, and it’s fine,” He sat on the edge of her desk, “I don’t really care.”

“You don’t care.” She repeated in disbelief and he shook his head.

“Not really.”

“Tony, are you alright?” He shrugged again and she stared at him, “You’ve been acting strange the last few days.”

He’d been feeling strange for the last two weeks. He’d been feeling lost, paranoid, and violated. He didn’t want to talk about it though, but when Pepper didn’t say anything for a while and instead waited for him to speak, her silence broke the chain of lies that he’d built and he burst.

“I need you to clear my diary.” He croaked and she nodded immediately, sitting in her chair and switching her computer back on.

“Done.” She said.

“I need all calls ignored.” He continued and she typed again.

“Okay.”

“I don’t want anyone to come up here all day.”

“I can have a lockdown and go home in 10 minutes – ”

“No.” He interrupted, “No can _you_ stay? Just everyone else.”

She didn’t even pause in her typing, “Sure. I can stay. I’ve got tonnes of work to do anyway.” He smiled at her, “I’m booking you in for a medical appointment too.” His smile dropped.

“Pepper – ”

“I know the signs when something’s going on Tony,” She said, “And I’m not going to ignore them this time.”

He twisted over her desk, looking down at her, “Pepper I swear, I’m not dying again.”

“But something _is_ going on?”

For two weeks now he’d kept this hidden, he’d acted as normal as he could, and he’d done what was expected of him. He’d hidden his own palladium poisoning better than he’d hidden this however and if he didn’t tell someone about what had happened to him now, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to.

And that would just snap his heart in half.

“I – ” He stopped. No. He couldn’t tell her. God what would she think of him? What if she went against the Avengers? What if she told Rhodey or Happy, or even, god, _SHIELD?_

“You can tell me Tony.” She urged, her eyes wide when she saw him bite down on his lip and hunch over, “Please don’t keep me in the dark again.” He winced at that, from guilt, “My workload’s already too large, I can’t take yours too. Not even if you beg.”

He gave her a look at that and she smiled, trying to make him laugh, and it almost succeeded for a moment but then he remembered what he was trying to tell her and lowered his eyes.

“I don’t need medical.” He promised. “I – there isn’t – I already went. When it happened.”

Pepper was still now, her smile gone as she listened, “When what happened?” She prompted gently.

“When that fight happened. You remember, from two weeks ago? When I had those bruises and everything?”

“Yes.”

“Well it wasn’t a fight.” He clenched his hands over his legs, talking down to them instead of at her, “I was – attacked.”

“Attacked.” She repeated, prompting him again as it was so obvious now that there was more to it than that.

“It wasn’t – I mean, I didn’t – ” He hated himself for the compulsive lie that he came up with but some part of him was sure that it was for his own protection, “I didn’t see their faces.” He sucked in a sharp breath, “It wasn’t a fight, it – I lied.”

“It’s okay.” Pepper assured him, keeping herself utterly still though he could tell she badly wanted to either hug or hold him, “Just tell me what it really was.”

He opened his mouth but nothing came out and then suddenly, it was like he’d been able to say it all along, “It was assault.” He said, his voice raw and grating, “Rape.” The world blurred around him now that he’d said it aloud and he felt sick, swallowing hard.

Pepper's hands had frozen over her keyboard and her face was still as she looked at him and he slowly lift his head to meet her gaze as well.

“I was raped.” He repeated, a certain finality to it now that he'd said it and he felt tears sting in his eyes, his voice breaking when he continued, "And I don't know what to do."

.

* * *

**Six months later.**

* * *

.

 

The room was warm.

A fan rattled away in it’s corner but other than that, the temperature was a steady heat that was actually quite pleasant.

The chairs were metal and were easily folded when they packed a session up after their two hours, but today they’d gotten three more than they were used to and they'd had to borrow the leather chairs from the room next door. Tony was in one of them and it creaked with every fidget and wriggle he had until he forced himself to keep still.

Malia was talking today. Since Tony had started here she’d spoken more than any of them about what had happened to her and as usual, he watched every line on her face harden as she recounted her abuse.

“He knew he’d get away with it.” She was saying, “When he saw me yesterday. He acted like – he knew what he was doing when he did this to me, he acted like he’d done it before. Like he knew where to take me and what to say when I told someone else.” She bent her head, her hair falling into her face whilst she spoke, “It was only once but I saw him again afterward and he – he was with his partner that time and he kept _talking_ to me. Like we were friends. He kept saying things like, oh, ‘how have you been, Malia?’, ‘it’s good to see you out of trouble’ and stuff, making him look like such a good guy in front of everyone else.”

Tony felt rigid as he listened, knowing all too well how it felt to be treated so amicably during or after a rape; when the other party didn’t think they’d done anything wrong.

Malia stopped for a bit then, wiping at her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Angela asked. She sat at the centre of the circle, the head of this group and a certified therapist.

Tony had chosen to come here for one of two reasons and her experience was one of them. The second was that he’d been able to get each member of staff and each victim or visitor to sign a disclosure wavier to ensure his privacy against the Press.

“I don’t know,” Malia shrugged, sniffing and wiping her nose on the back of her head, “Because I’m such a mess?”

“A mess?” Angela pressed gently, tilting her head to one side, “What makes you a mess Malia?”

“Well, I’m always crying, aren’t I!” Malia snapped, “I can’t sleep, I’m _paranoid._ I don’t trust the police anymore, I’m terrified of doing anything wrong. I even wait a whole minute after the light’s green to make sure I don’t run a red, I mean – goddammit, I live in _fear._ Literally.”

“And that makes you a mess.” Angela clarified.

“Yes!” Angry now, Malia wiped at her face again and again, her cheeks turning red from how hard she rubbed at them.

“Does anyone have any thoughts to that?” Angela opened the circle up, looking at each of them. Her gaze stopped on Sofia, who looked like she’d burst if she didn’t speak but who was also too shy to raise her hand, “Sofia? How about you?”

“Oh. Um.” Sofia met Malia’s gaze from across the circle, “I don’t think you’re a mess.” She said, timid but sweet, “I just … think you’re upset. I mean, obviously. But that doesn’t make you a mess. You shouldn’t be annoyed at yourself for feeling.”

Malia sniffed again. “I’m not annoyed for feeling,” She said, “I’m annoyed at our justice system.”

Angela looked around the circle again and a new member, a woman who’d introduced herself as Cece, raised a hand.

“Yes, Cece?”

“Yeah. Hi.” She said, waving. Malia looked at her now while Sofia lowered her head and looked ashamed for having even spoken. Tony wanted to flay whoever had hurt her alive but at the moment, he concentrated on what Cece had to say instead.

“So yeah, I was raped by my best friend when I was eighteen,” She began and Tony felt his lips part in reaction to her bluntness, “He knew I would never tell anyone and I didn’t. He was like family to me and my mom when it happened but since then I’ve been paranoid. I moved out a year ago and I have cameras installed in my house and car. I built security around me for protection but - I'm still _scared._ Because he’s still out there.” She sighed, “So I completely understand what you’re saying,”

She leant forward in her chair, “And I’m so sorry you had to go through this, I - " She turned to Angela, “Are we allowed to hug?”

Angela gestured toward Malia, “If Malia is alright to hug you, then of course.”

Malia nodded her permission, rising to meet Cece as she stood and they wrapped their arms around each other in the middle of the circle, with Cece pulling her close and whispering _‘you’re okay’_ repeatedly.

Tony heard her sniff and watched as Cece buried her face in Malia’s neck. The hug looked truly cathartic and neither looked like they wanted to let go. They did eventually however and the both of them returned to their seats with their faces wet.

Angela gathered the room’s attention again simply by shifting forward in her chair.

“Thank you for sharing Cece.” She said, “I know it can be tough to recount an event but you did that very well.” She then glanced around the room again but when no one else looked prepared to speak, she turned to Frieda.

Frieda had started at the same time as Tony and had yet to tell her story like him, though she’d mentioned that it had been a police officer as well, just the once in a discussion. She was curt when she spoke to the others in the group, not to hurt but to be blunt and clinical in her advice.

They talked sometimes, after sessions, and Tony liked her.

Angela didn’t prompt when it was clear she wanted to be silent today however and their session would be running out of time soon anyway. By the end of the meeting, she finished with her usual parting words and they all rose to leave.

Many of them often drove here themselves and they left as soon they were able. Any others left behind waited for the bus or for a friend or family member to collect them.

Happy had driven Tony here so he went to the refreshment table to wait for a text that would let him know when he could leave. He wanted to avoid the Press as much as was possible, if only to spare those in the circle as well.

“Hey,” Frieda greeted when she joined him, taking a cup of orange juice to drink just as he finished his, “How you doing?”

He scoffed lightly, “Been better,” She hummed, “How did your birthday thing go?”

“Oh,” She waved a hand, “Cancelled. Not enough guests.”

He smiled, “Was that more or less work for you?”

“About the same,” She said, “But this way was actually _worse_ because we’d put it everything up and had to clean it all away for nothing.”

“At least there was nothing to clean from the food?” He offered, “Kids can be messy.”

“That’s true.” She rest her hip against the table, her uniform creasing as she did. She worked at a kids’ funhouse and often had to organise birthday groups and mascots and so on, which seemed like exhausting work but she said it kept her out of trouble and that was what she wanted.

“Your driver late today?” She asked after a while and he nodded.

“Traffic probably,” He said, putting his phone away and hugging his arms across his chest, “God I hate being stuck here more than I need to be.” He realised how that sounded and went to correct himself but Frieda was smiling.

“I know.” She agreed, sighing, “I mean. You choose to come every time. Like it’s _your_ choice, but you don’t get used to it. Hearing what people go through, wondering if yours is worse or better and if you should even be here, or if it even matters over who suffered more ...” She poured herself some more juice, “And then you convince yourself not to come again only to sit there an hour before a session starts and decide you need to.”

“Because it helps.” Tony finished for her and she nodded.

“Yeah. It helps.” She sighed, “Wonder if it helps more when you finally tell your own story or if that just takes time too.”

“I think it all takes time.” Tony countered, “Everyone deals with it differently.”

“Don’t get all ‘Angela’ on me.” She snorted and he grinned, “I know that. I just – wish I could hurry up and be ready to say my piece already. Start to heal and all that jazz.”

“You’ve said more than I ever had.” Tony argued, “I can’t even give advice.” She smiled at him, untying her hair only to tie it back up again, yanking her band until it was tighter, “I feel – useless, listening to them.” She nodded, looking at him softly, “But I can’t speak up.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve, “It’s not like they make me feel like I shouldn’t be here.”

She paused, “What, do _you_ think you shouldn’t be here?”

He sighed, deciding to be honest, “Is it bad that I didn’t expect there to be many men in sessions?” He asked, “I mean I chose a mixed-space but, when I first came and saw those guys, I didn’t – ” He made a face but Frieda seemed to know what he meant anyway. 

“No. It’s not weird.” She said, “Everyone thinks it, it’s an internal stigma.” She glanced over at two of the regular men, Christian and Terry, watching them talk for a moment, “It’s sad, considering how many men go through it as well.”

Tony followed her gaze, “Yeah.”

“You know, I once knew this girl from another group?” She then said, “She’d tell me about her sessions and stuff and she said this one time this weird lady complained that there was a man there. She said he made her feel unsafe and that he was lying about being raped so he could be surrounded by women and all sorts of shit.”

Tony blinked, “But you can choose mixed-groups?”

“Oh she knew it was mixed,” Frieda said coldly, “Turns out she’d never even been raped either. She went to groups to find ‘weak’ men and force them to leave. It worked on most. They never came back.”

Tony stared at her, “What the fuck.”

“And that’s just the women,” She continued, “Men are even worse. They claim to care but when someone’s actually raped? They don’t want to know.” She smiled then, “It’s brave of anyone to come to groups but to fight a stigma as well? I think they deserve a medal.”

“Women have stigmas too.” Tony reminded her gently and she nodded.

“Yeah. Rape just sucks for everyone.” The understatement was brutal enough that they both laughed quietly at it until a buzz from Tony’s phone let him know Happy was here.

“I’ll see you in two weeks.” He promised, jogging toward the door and she put a hand up in a goodbye, watching him leave.

Happy drove as soon as he was in, taking the long route around to avoid letting anyone figure out where he’d just picked Tony up from. The group was in a completely secluded and bland looking area anyway, and there was nothing around it that made it clear what it was for, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It was supposed to make them feel safe, and feel okay coming here, and if he was honest it worked.

“Anything explode while I was gone?” He asked wryly, looking out the window and watching as some not-so-subtle paparazzi cars began to follow them back to the tower once they were on the main road.

“No sir.” The driver said and Tony froze, jerking his head around to look at him, “But there was an incident.”

Tony recognised his voice and when he glanced down at his phone, he noticed that the message he’d gotten wasn’t from Happy and was instead from someone saved in as _‘hugh-man’_. He must have tried to be funny when he’d named him as a contact but now he felt sick.

Because he knew him.

He’d been the driver that had driven them home that night. The one who’d heard everything and who’d driven them around longer to let them finish. He struggled to breathe slowly, calming himself down.

“What incident?” He asked slowly, pressing his legs together and praying for clear roads and no traffic.

“Mr Hogan was on his way to collect you but was involved in a car accident. I was sent to – ”

 _“What?_ Car  – is he _okay?”_ Tony demanded, leaning forward in his seat, “What happened?”

“He’s fine, Mr Stark,” The driver said, turning them toward the tower and into its personal car lot, “Mild whiplash. A pedestrian stepped out into the road and he swerved.”

Tony immediately went to the news to see if any of the paparazzi had caught what had happened on camera. Sometimes it was useful to be followed around so much as they caught things before any other news outlet did.

He found footage on a hot magazine after about a minute of searching and he watched the snapshot pictures run together like a video, seeing a young girl walk deliberately out onto the road just as Happy came around the corner. He swerved to miss her but she was struck anyway and Happy collided with a post.

The next pictures showed the girl being put into an ambulance with a few paragraphs that said she was alive and not too badly hurt. He swiped across through the gallery and felt an icy shard hit his heart when he realised that he knew her.

It was Sofia.

Hugh parked the car near the elevator and Tony was out before he’d even shut the engine. He went to the common room to find out which hospital Happy and Sofia had been sent to so he could head there himself and visit them, to see if they were okay. He’d drive himself there too. Hugh was fired as far as he was aware.

As soon as he stepped through the doors however, the entire team was there and he almost fell in his haste to stop. Since he’d started going to groups, he’d returned to work as an Avenger and Consultant as per normal, distant from the team but not so much that they were suspicious, but it wasn’t often that they were all here together like this anymore.

Especially while looking so annoyed too.

Steve stood when he saw him and he felt his heart hammer hard at the bizarre thought that they were going to do this to him again and that he had no escape; even if none of them were drunk this time. He took a step back, staring at them all.

“Where’s the fire?” Clint drawled, raising an eyebrow, and Tony gaped for a moment only to snap out of it and remember his urgency.

“Oh – Happy. He had a car crash. I’m going to go see him.” He answered, wanting badly to walk past them to his room but he couldn’t make himself move.

“Where did you go?” Clint asked, “That he had to pick you up?”

“A meeting.” Tony said, his lips numb.

“But your diary’s empty.”

Tony started to breathe hard and his face felt hot, “I need to go to the hospital.” He repeated, firmly now.

“Happy just had some whiplash, he’s fine.” Natasha said, “We need to talk first.”

“No.” He glared at her, “I’m not going to chat while he’s in hospital. It might be more than whiplash, you never know with crashes – ”

“Tony just sit down.” Steve said, folding his arms across his chest and frowning, “Now.”

“I don’t take orders from you.” Tony snapped, angry, and Natasha sighed.

“We know. That’s what we want to talk to you about.” She stepped toward him and he forced himself to stay still, “Hill told us you quit months ago.”

“Uh actually, she fired me, but semantics.” He corrected her, “And it’s not that big a deal, I’m still here aren’t I? Now I gotta go.”

Thor stepped to one side now, frowning just as Steve was, and just like that, his way was completely blocked. Feeling more frightened than he’d ever been when fighting evil, he swallowed.

“What is this?” He whispered and Natasha softened.

“We just need to talk Tony.” She said, “Just sit. It won’t be long.”

He slowly stepped around the counter and went toward the sofas, sitting down on the one furthest from them and tucking his legs in close.

“Fine. I’m sitting.” He snapped, “What is it.”

Natasha sat first with the others joining them. Bruce hung back, looking both in and out of control of his temper as Clint put a wad of paper down on the table between them all. Tony took it up, scanning through it.

It was his medical records from six months ago, from after the function. He felt a muscle jump in his throat when he read them.

“Where did you get this?” He murmured and Natasha folded her arms across her chest.

“We have our ways.” She said, not answering the question at all, “What concerns me more is that you didn’t tell us about it in the first place.”

“Well what concerns _me_ more is that this is a basic breach of privacy and I can’t believe you even did this!” Tony threw the papers down, shaking with an emotion that he couldn’t quite name.

“We were worried about you.” Steve justified their technical crime, “You should have told us about this.”

“Fuck you.” Tony sneered, “Why do you even care.”

“Is that what this is?” Steve asked, “You think we don’t _care?”_

“I just want to go to hospital.” Tony said, avoiding the question, only to bodily flinch when a light-bulb burst above him. He turned to Thor, feeling wary when it seemed like he could physically see his aura and how dark and electric it was.

“We hurt you during our time together,” Thor said, “And you didn’t think you could tell us.”

 _“Hurt_ \- me?” Tony checked, not quite sure what conclusion they’d drawn from his records or what was happening here.

“Bruises, damaged oesophagus, torn skin. You needed _stitches,_ Tony.” Bruce spoke up now, “We knew we weren’t gentle but why didn’t you say anything?”

 _We knew we weren’t gentle._ Hands were holding him down and he shut his eyes for a moment to block them out.

“I have to go.” He said, standing, “Seriously. We can do this another time.”

“Why won’t you talk to us?” Steve asked, looking wounded, “We’re supposed to be a team. You had to go to the hospital after we had sex and then you get fired or quit and keep silent about it? I think I’ve seen you all of eleven times in the last few months, Tony.”

“Hill only fired me because I was being difficult and it was handled,” Tony snapped, “I’m sorry I didn’t immediately call up everyone I knew and give them the news. And this,” He jabbed a finger at the records, “Is my private business. Stay out of it.”

He started to leave then, his mind whirling at _we had sex_ , because Jesus they still didn’t know. They didn’t get it.

“What is this?” Clint asked, standing as well and blocking his way once again, “You have your fun with us and then suddenly we’re not worth the time?”

“Back off.” Tony warned him, tensing for a fight, but he needn’t have bothered because his phone rang and that broke the tension pretty effectively. When he looked down at it in his hand he saw that it was ‘Happy’ and Clint must have seen it too because he stepped aside with a sigh, letting Tony pass and head to the elevator again.

“Happy. Hey.” He answered the call as he rushed out, “I’m on my way, okay? Just tell me which hospital you’re at. No no, I’m coming. Just tell me.”

He waited until the elevator doors shut before he turned, catching a glimpse of the team watching him leave. He slumped against the wall behind him when he was then alone, shutting his eyes as a burst of relief hit him like a punch.

He didn’t think he’d ever been so frightened in his life. He’d been going to groups for months now, twelve sessions and counting, and he’d thrown himself into his work in the meantime as well. And yet, still. He was still terrified of his own team.

.

He chose one of his smaller cars to drive to the hospital, taking a few minutes in the car to calm down before he did, drumming his hands over the wheel and turning the radio on to distract himself. As soon as he pulled out however, he was swamped by a crowd of reporters and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting any of them.

“Mr Stark!”

“Mr Stark is it true the young girl you hit is an illegitimate daughter of yours?”

“Did your driver have orders to remove her from your life?”

“Mr Stark, why are you driving yourself, is Mr Hogan your only driver?”

He crawled through them, sounding the horn when none of them seemed to want to move and eventually lowering his window, “I’m trying to get to the hospital guys, okay? Just get out of the way.” A microphone was shoved in through the gap he’d made and he jerked his head back.

“Mr Stark, can you confirm that you’re attending a therapy group for drug recovery and rehabilitation?”

“What?” Tony stared at him, “Where the hell do you guys get your information from? Seriously, get out of the way.”

The man continued despite his warning, leaning in closer, “You were spotted leaving a therapy group this morning before your driver’s crash and you haven’t been seen with the Avengers in weeks. Has your drug addiction become a source of tension between you and the team?”

“I’m not addicted to drugs.” Tony snapped, rolling the window back up and bracing his hands on the wheel. Once it looked clear that he was going to drive no matter what, a few reporters moved back a little but there still wasn’t enough room.

He wasn’t going to run anyone over but he didn’t have the time nor patience for this either, _“Move!”_ He yelled and there was suddenly a burst of light from behind him.

Two of his suits flew out of the garage and flanked the car with their arms raised and glowing. Cameras flashed like lightning to capture them.

 _“Please step away from the car.”_ One of them said, the automated voice so similar to Jarvis’ that it was obvious who was controlling them _, “Please step away from the car.”_

“Mr Stark, did – ?”

One of the suits blocked the reporter and stepped into his space, making him stumble back and raise his camera toward it.

 _“Please step_ away _from the car.”_ It repeated and eventually the crowd listened.

Tony immediately put the car back into gear and drove away from the tower and onto the road, knowing that Jarvis would keep them at bay until he reached the hospital.

Once inside, he was directed to the third floor and jogged up the stairs, turning into a ward to see Happy sitting up and eating jello from a tub. He saw him in the doorway and choked on his spoon, coughing and putting the tub down to squint at him.

“Boss – ” He coughed again, giving Tony a look once he was done, “I told you not to come. I’m fine.”

“Shut up Happy.” Tony rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside the bed and plucking an apple off of the tray. He bit into it, speaking around his mouthful, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Happy repeated, “Really. I’ve got a little burn in my neck and I could do with a masseuse but I’m more worried about that girl.” He took his jello back up, “She came out of nowhere.” He insisted, “I didn’t even see her, I – have you seen the footage? It looks like I tried to hit her on purpose. God.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony told him, “I could have walked home, it’s not far.”

Happy gave him another look, “It’s four blocks.” He said, before frowning, “How _did_ you get home? I didn’t get a chance to call.”

“Second driver.” Tony answered and he must have sounded as weary as he felt because Happy sat up a little straighter and looked concerned.

“What second driver?” He asked, “I fired Hugh _months_ ago.” Tony paused.

He’d had told Happy about the rape when he’d asked to be dropped off discretely at the group every two weeks but he hadn’t said that the team had done it. He’d only said he’d been out for a run with the car tailing him and when he’d been attacked, Hugh had disappeared. It was the same story he’d given Pepper.

He hadn’t known Happy had taken it upon himself to punish Hugh for not doing his job however, and he felt warm that he had. And he didn’t even know the whole story. The more pressing concern now however was that if Hugh was fired, then why had he picked Tony up?

“Well it was him who got me.” Tony said, “I didn’t know you fired him.”

Happy looked angry, pressing his lips together, “I’ll look into it. I’m head of security, if someone’s fired, they’re fired. I take their badge and everything.” He sighed, “I’m sorry boss. He’ll be gone when I’m out of here tomorrow.”

“Focus on resting up.” Tony told him, “I’ll book you a masseuse for your day off.”

“I don’t have a day off.”

“You have now. A week off starting tomorrow.” Tony said, “CEO orders. No arguing or coming into work anyway.” Happy smiled at him, shaking his head.

“I really am okay.” He insisted but he didn’t turn down the holiday and instead leant back in his bed, “But a masseuse does sound nice.”

“Yeah, wonder where I got the idea from.” Tony joked, throwing the apple core into the bin and pouring himself a glass of water.

He stayed with Happy for about an hour as they talked but it wouldn’t be long before the paparazzi figured out where he was and he didn’t want the hospital swarmed. He left with the promise to pick him up in the morning, walking down the hallway and ignoring any doctors or nurses that gaped at him as he passed.

He stopped a few halls down however, pausing when he saw a familiar face in one of the private rooms, and he walked toward it when it looked like no one was watching. Knocking on the door, he waited until she turned to see him through the glass window, and then he stepped inside.

“Hi.” He whispered and Sofia gave him a soft smile.

“Hi.” She whispered back. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, just near her legs and smiled back, “What are you doing here?”

“My driver was the man who almost hit you.” He explained, “I came to see if he was alright. Saw you in the news with him and had to check on you too.”

Her face fell, “That was your driver?” She asked, “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey it’s okay, he’s alright,” He assured her gently, “You’re the one who was hit.”

She scoffed lightly, “Yeah. Broken leg.” The _‘that’s all’_ was left unspoken but Tony knew what she’d wanted. He knew it and he hated that he understood.

“Which leg?” He asked and she pointed to the left. He made sure to not move and jostle it as he looked and she laughed a little.

“It’s okay. I’m on pain meds.” She said, “Can’t feel anything.”

Tony smiled again, "Guess you'll be off school for a while then."

She shook her head, "No. I'll be on crutches but still there."

He remembered hearing that she was 17 during his first session and though they'd only spoken a few times, he'd loved the glimpses of teenage attitude that he'd seen still within her. It made him angrier to see her visibly withdraw into herself at times as well, because he knew why and knew her attacker hadn't paid for it.

"That sucks." He whispered and she smiled again, nodding, and in the corner of his eye he noticed a bunch of flowers in a vase, sitting on the table beside her.

He nodded at them, “Is that from your family?”

She followed his gaze and the light in her eyes dimmed, “No.” She whispered, and that alone was telling of who it had really been.

Tony nodded again, standing and walking around to lift the flowers out of their vase. He stood on the bin’s pedal and dumped them inside, using his other foot to really squish them in until they were wilted and blackened.

When he sat back down, Sofia had tears in her eyes, “Thank you.” She said and he leant forward on instinct to wrap his arms around her as she sobbed into his neck. “I’m sorry,” She hiccuped and he held her tighter.

“It’s okay. It’s alright.”

“I really am sorry though!” She cried, so quiet despite the anguish in her words, “It was selfish, what I did.”

“But it’s _okay,”_ Tony assured her, “Just don’t walk in front of cars again,” He said, his voice trembling, “Don’t ever.”

“Why not?” She asked, “I’ve tried everything else. Everyone said that if I told my story I’d feel better. But I don’t!”

“It takes time – ”

“I’ve given it time!” She insisted, “I want him to _die!_ And if he doesn’t, then I will!” Tony shut his eyes, breathing hard.

“I can put him away.” He promised, “Give me a name and I can. I have the best lawyers in the world and if – ”

“He’ll get out.” She interrupted but he continued over her.

“And _if_ that fails, I have a permanent solution. I can do it. For you.” He pulled back, looking into her eyes, “We try it legally and if the justice system fails, I’ll handle it.”

“You’ll go to jail.” She whispered and he felt tears in his own eyes then.

“But you'll be alive.”

Swallowing hard, she wiped at her face, “My mom told me to just move on.” She said.

“Yeah,” He said, having met the woman just the once a few weeks back and knowing what she felt, “Sometimes people give advice when they don’t understand what the pain feels like,” He explained, “They do their best but when there’s nothing else they can do, then that’s all they can say.”

“But you can do more?”

“I’ll do my best.” Tony promised her, “I just need a name.”

She hunched over, putting her face in her hands, “What if it doesn’t work and he finds me for revenge? What if you get there too late?”

“Sofia – ”

 “I can’t do it again Tony.” She swore, “I can’t.” She dissolved into silence, holding herself and rocking slightly over her pillows. Tony watched her, thinking back to meetings. She’d never said more than a few words about the incident but she’d mentioned that her rapist had hurt her the once and that he was ‘close’ to her.

Usually he’d think that that meant a family member but she’d also spoken about family and had seemed to be pretty happy with them. Then again, you never knew, and he knew that she wouldn’t reveal more about it just on her own accord. She needed a prompt and it wasn’t fair if she was the only one who had to spill secrets.

He braced himself, wiping at his own eyes and looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Once he was sure he wouldn’t cry, he opened his mouth to speak.

“There were five of them,” He said slowly and she glanced up at him in shock, “When it happened to me. There were five and – we were friends. We were drunk too, or at least I was.”

She looked transfixed, “You’ve never said what happened to you.”

“I know.” He lowered his eyes, “Because I’m scared. I see them everyday and they don’t even know how badly they hurt me, or how terrified I am that they’ll do it again. They think I enjoyed myself.” He bit his lip, “I live with them too so I – I can’t avoid them either.”

“You live with – ?” She paused, her eyes wide as she realised what that meant, “The – the _Avengers?”_

“Everyone’s capable of doing awful things.” He said, “Even heroes.” He sucked in a shuddering gasp, “I’ve kept it to myself because the world needed to think it had protectors but – sometimes you need to be selfish.” She blinked at him, “So I’ll make you a promise, okay? I will go public about what happened and make the Avengers pay for what they did to me _. If_ you give me a name and let me try to put your demon away as well.”

“What if no one believes you?” She asked.

“I’ll fight for the truth.” He said, vehemently, “And I’ll fight for yours too. And Malia’s if she wants me to. And Frieda, and Christian and Halli and – ”

“He was my teacher!” Sofia suddenly burst out, staring up at him with both fear and awe, “My – he’s called Mr Spencer. I don’t know his first name but he teaches me _Art and Design_ and I was finishing a project after school when he – when he did it.”

Her teacher. Tony clenched his fists tight against his legs.

“What school do you go to?” He asked, committing the name to memory when she told him and pressing his lips together. “If I go after him, you’ll have to talk in court.” He told her, “Can you do that?”

“Will he be punished?”

“If the court doesn’t, I will.” Tony promised and she nodded.

“Then I can do it.”

“I’ll be right there with you.” Tony told her, his eyes warm and soft as he met her gaze, cupping her face with one hand, “The whole time.”

“I’ll be there with you too.” She said, reaching over and hugging him only to flinch when the door suddenly opened and a nurse stepped in.

“Oh – !” She startled when she saw him only to frown a moment later, “I’m sorry, are you family?”

“He’s my uncle.” Sofia immediately lied and Tony laughed.

“No. Sorry,” He said, “I was just visiting, we know each other.”

“Right, well.” The nurse’s frown deepened, “I’m sorry but only family during this time. Thank you.”

“Can he come tomorrow?” Sofia asked, sounding so young in that moment and so hopeful that Tony felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

“Sweetheart, he can come every day if you promise to get some sleep.” The nurse said and Sofia beamed.

“I’ll sleep.” She said and Tony laughed again.

“I’ll bring you some books to read tomorrow.” He said, “What kind of genre do you like?”

“We’re reading Macbeth in school and I need to catch up.” She said, “Could we go through it together?” The nurse stared at him when he nodded.

“Sure.” He told her, stepping out and waving, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He knew that she would never tell anyone about what he’d said, about the revelation that the Avengers were rapists, but he’d been telling the truth to her nonetheless so it wouldn’t really matter that it was a secret for long.

He was tired of being afraid and he was tired of seeing others afraid. If what it took to help them was to be an example and put his demons away, then he’d step up and do it with his head held high.

“Excuse me!” He jumped, turning when he heard the nurse running after him and stopping to wait for her to catch up, “Excuse me! Hi.” She paused to catch her breath and he waited.

“Is everything alright?” He checked.

“Everything is fine,” She said, smiling, “I just wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” He asked.

“That girl in there has been in-and-out for months and I’ve been with her through it all.” She said, “I’ve never seen her so smiley before. So yes. Thank you for doing that,” She put a hand on her chest, her smile widening, “For helping her. I asked about homework today and she said there was no point to it because she’d be dead soon.”

Tony lowered his eyes, “I – ”

“But now she wants to go through _Macbeth_ with you. It's a plan for the future, even if it’s just tomorrow.” The nurse continued, “I just want you to know how important that is to her and that I hope you won’t break your promise.”

“I won’t.” Tony assured her, “She’s going to know it by-heart by the end of the week.” Snorting, the nurse nodded and stepped back.

“Well. I’ll let you go now.” She said, “We’ll see you tomorrow?” She phrased it as a question and he smiled.

“See you tomorrow.” He nodded, watching her leave before leaving the hospital himself. He drove home feeling buzzed and determined and parked in the tower just as the sun began to set.

The reporters had gone by now, leaving behind only a few exhausted stragglers who tried to run after him but missed their chance when the doors shut and he could step out in peace.

Once inside he completely forgot that the team had hacked into his medical records and that they'd wanted to talk, so when he walked into the common area to make himself some coffee he froze in place when the others were all sat there. Like they’d been waiting for him.

“Free to talk now?” Natasha asked, leaning back to look at him.

“What’s there to talk about?” Tony asked, switching the coffee machine on and watching it bubble.

“Fine.” Natasha snapped, “Keep your secrets. Just stop avoiding us. We’re watching a movie, join us. There’s beer and some other pick-me-ups.”

“No thanks.” Tony said, pouring the coffee into a mug, “I don’t drink anymore.”

“Since when?” Clint half laughed, half scoffed.

“Since almost seven months now, actually.” He said, taking a moment to count how many sessions he’d been to and including the time before when he’d avoided drinking after the rape.

“Well one won’t hurt you.” Steve offered but Bruce shook his head.

“Trying for sobriety is hard.” He said, “We shouldn’t tempt him.”

“A sober Stark,” Clint laughed, reaching for the remote, “How are we going to have our fun now?”

Tony felt the mug slip in his hands but he caught it in time, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his voice icy and biting despite his fear.

Clint turned to look at him, confused, “That you’re less uptight when you’re drunk?” He said, “Jesus, you’ve become the biggest killjoy these last couple of months. What happened?”

Tony scoffed, walking away. For a team of spies, Natasha and he were very oblivious to the reactions of someone that had been assaulted. Unless they weren’t and just didn’t make the connection that that someone could be Tony.

Maybe he was too rich and too 'uptight' to be victim in their eyes.

He locked himself in his room that night, searching for Sofia’s school and getting as much information about Mr Spencer as he could.

He also booked a meeting with Pepper in a week’s time, when Rhodey would be back on leave so he could join them, where he was going to come clean about what had happened and why he’d hidden it. He felt his fingers shake as he thought of how that would go but he’d promised and this was as much for him as it was for Sofia.

It was time the Avengers learnt something, even if he had to drill it in and announce it to the world to make them understand.

No meant No. Always.

.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FILLER CHAPTER

“Please state your full name for the record.”  
  
Nursing a steadily cooling cup of coffee in his hands, Tony stared at nothing as he answered, “Anthony Edward Stark.”  
  
The attorney wrote a few sentences that had nothing to do with his name on his pad of paper, the pen’s scratching an irritating sound in the silence, “And please state why you’re here today.”  
  
“I’m here to defend a public allegation I’ve made.” Tony said, robotic and numb, “An allegation of rape.”  
  
“And could you state who this allegation is against.” The attorney asked, clarifying what he wanted a second later, “Who the perpetrators are.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Tony took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the taste, “You want their full names or their hero names?” He asked, dryly.  
  
“Full names please.” The attorney said, glancing up just the once, “And sarcasm won’t help matters, Mr Stark.”  
  
“It usually does.” Tony countered, before sighing, “Okay. Uh. Names.” He took in a sharp and short breath, talking down to his mug instead of to the man in front of him, “The perpetrators here were Dr Bruce Banner. Steven Grant Rogers. Natalia Alianovna Romanova. Clinton Francis Barton. And Thor, God of Thunder.”  
  
The names were written down, “And when did this altercation occur?”  
  
“Altercation.” Tony repeated, the word numb against his lips.  
  
“I’m sorry Mr Stark, this is the terminology I have to use – ”  
  
“Yeah no no, I understand.” Tony waved him off, “It just sounds casual.” He shrugged, forcing that away, “Anyway. The um – the altercation occurred Monday. 5th of April.”  
  
“And you’re 100% sure of the date.”  
  
“Yep.” _How could he not be?_ “It was 5th of April.”  
  
“Do you remember the time it occurred?”  
  
Tony paused, “We were leaving a function.” He said slowly, “I don’t remember the exact time but there is footage to show us leaving which should have it.”  
  
“And you have access to this footage?”  
  
“Yes. I do.”  
  
“Alright.” He wrote over his pad again and Tony watched him, trying to see what was being written and wondering if this was such a good idea. He’d been so sure and confident before he’d actually had to sit here, staring down an attorney that Pepper had chosen, telling him that he’d been raped by his friends. “And why did it take you so long to come forward with this? It’s been - several months since April.”

Despite knowing he’d be asked this, Tony didn’t have a sure answer, and he hadn’t wanted to fabricate one beforehand just because. He’d decided to be as honest as possible but now that he needed to answer, he came up short.

“Mr Stark?”

“Yeah. Um.” He rubbed at his forehead, talking without thinking, “I uh. I don't know. I guess I was – I was scared? And I. I thought that the world should still have their heroes.” He twisted his fingers together in his lap, glaring down at them, “And that. Just because I was hurt, it didn’t mean I should deprive everyone of things that kept them safe.”

Pausing for a moment, the attorney didn’t write immediately, until eventually he noted that answer down and asked, “And what changed your mind?”

“I’ve been going to a rape therapy group,” Tony answered, “For months now. Anonymous. Someone there, they – changed my mind. I want to help them, but I realised, to help them I have to help myself in the first place. And I realised, that no matter what they can do or how powerful they are, if someone’s done something like this they should be punished.” He dug his nails into his palms, “And I don’t think the world deserves to have rapists as their superheroes.”

Nodding, the attorney paused again before writing this down, “Have you prepared a statement?”

“I have yeah. I also have a statement from my Assistant CEO Virginia Potts. And my driver.”

“Were they present during the attack?”

“No. No they weren't.”

“Is there anyone you have that can corroborate this attack?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he shook his head, “There was a driver. But he’s been fired since.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because he was there that day. And he knew what was happening but did nothing to stop it.” Tony said, “And yes, an argument could be made that he thought we were just having fun but that doesn’t work here.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because – maybe to someone drunk, like the Avengers had been – maybe that argument could be used. But to someone sober, someone driving us, and who _knew_ me? I don’t believe he knew that it was consensual, I – I don’t believe he didn’t know what was happening.” He swallowed, “He knew. He can try to deny it but he knew.”

Writing this down, the attorney nodded, “Do you think he’d corroborate your statement?”

“No.” He scoffed, “Especially because I fired him.”

“Did _you_ fire him specifically?”

“No. My driver did months ago. I didn't know until recently.”

“Is that when you first told your driver?”

He nodded, “It’s when I told him I was raped yeah. Along with my assistant CEO.” He sighed, “But I didn’t tell them who had attacked me. I told them I didn’t know who they were and that I hadn’t seen their faces.”

“Why was that?”

He twisted his fingers together again, “Some subconscious, idiotic reason to protect the Avengers, or – God I don’t know, I feel like I’ve answered this question already, can we just – do I have to describe everything now?”

“That is the next stage, yes,” The attorney didn’t react to his anger, “I’d need you to tell your story. As much as you can remember.”

“Okay. Do I do this now, or do you have more questions?”

“No more questions. I’d just need to get a backstory first,” The attorney said, softening his voice, “I appreciate that this is difficult, Mr Stark.”

“It’s fine.” Tony waved that off, “Alright. Backstory. As in, what led to the ‘altercation’?”

“Yes.”

He cleared his throat, glancing away for a moment. His eyes felt warm but he ignored them and focused on thinking about what had happened.

“Okay. Um.” He kept his voice still and calm, “We were at a function. An Avengers-only one, a sort of PR thing. I’d ordered clothes specifically designed to hide what they looked like to the public before the event but most didn’t get used.”

“Why was that?”

“Well Thor was pretty public already and didn’t really need hiding, so his was put aside.” Tony answered, “Bruce was pretty public too but he’s – uh. He was under my protection, ironically enough. So, he was able to attend as normal. The agents and Steve Rogers wore face-masks and um, I was just as myself. In a normal suit and so on.”

“And you all arrived and left together?”

“Yeah.”

“Had you been drinking?”

He felt his eyes burn, “Yeah. I’d been drinking. I was a little drunk, I guess.”

“But you remember everything?”

“Yeah.” He snapped now, forcing his anger back, “I wasn’t that drunk, I remember everything.”

“Would you say you remember everything correctly?”

“Of course.” He breathed, “I - I might have been drunk but I _know_ what happened to me and what I - “

“I’m not arguing with you Mr Stark,” The attorney stopped him quickly, “I’m just saying what the court will.”

Tony looked at him for a moment, wiping a hand down his face, “Well I remember everything.” He repeated, “I’ve been intoxicated before, and I mean really intoxicated, so I know what that’s like.” He made a face, “This wasn't that. I’d had maybe 3 or 4 glasses and I have a high tolerance. I wasn’t drunk-drunk.”

The attorney nodded, “Were any of the Avengers drunk?”

“Yes.”

“Can you name them?”

He worried over his bottom lip, “I think it was just two. Natasha and Clint.” He scraped his teeth over it, feeling the skin peel, “Bruce can’t get drunk, because of the Hulk. Steve can’t unless it’s super potent, which is the same for Thor. Our alcohol doesn’t touch him.”

“So they were still sober during this?”

His eyes were still burning and he had to clear his throat before he answered, choking it out, “Yes.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Clearly knowing how close to crying he was, the attorney’s voice softened, “And what happened next?”

He stood, pouring his coffee away, “We were in the car and I wanted to get another bottle.” He said, “The limo was pretty big but when I reached over to get it, there was a bump and I fell into Clint’s lap. I was tired so I just lay there but I wasn’t _doing_ anything. I just – lay there.” His voice shuddered and he cleared his throat once again, “When I got up though, he pulled me down and unzipped his pants. I was – drunk. A little aroused.”

“You went along at first then.” The attorney read between the lines and he nodded.

“Yeah. But it was … confusing.” He rubbed at his forehead, “It felt like we were at home and it was just the two of us.”

“Have you felt attraction toward Clint before?”

Tony scoffed, “He’s good looking but no, not in that way. I guess I just – felt – ”

“Aroused.”

“… yeah.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, braced over the kitchen sink, “This isn’t looking too good for me is it.”

“Let’s just finish the story.”

He sucked in a sharp breath, looking up to banish his tears, continuing, “I pushed away from him and Thor grabbed me from behind. He um. I don’t know, he was just feeling, and it just – started from there. They were talking over me and about videos of me. They called me a slut, which I’ve been called before, but not by friends and Natasha kept saying _‘Trust me, he likes it rough’._ ” He rolled his tongue across his teeth, “I remember her saying that.”

“Did you protest at all?”

“Yes.” He jerked toward him, adamant, “I said _no_ out loud. I said _please_. I told them to _stop_.” He swallowed, “I cried.”

“And this was ignored?” He nodded, “And this was when they assaulted you.” He nodded again, his lips pressed together, “Was this one-by-one or together?”

He felt his heart palpitate at the memory, “A bit of both.” He said, “First it was just – blowjobs. Horrible ones.” He put a hand to his throat, “I couldn’t breathe, I – Thor and Steve were – pretty big. And it hurt.”

“I read your medical records,” The attorney nodded, “You had a damaged esophagus.”

“Yeah I, um, yeah.” He felt his chest squeeze and forced everything done to try and stay as calm as he could, “They held me down a few times.”

If the attorney felt uncomfortable, angry or skeptical, he kept it to himself, simply nodding again, “You said at first?” He prompted and Tony poured himself a glass of water, downing it in a few gulps.

“I pulled away again and sat down,” He said, “It felt like Bruce was on my side so I tried to stay with him. But then he just switched. And he kissed me. Angrily. And then started acting with them too.” He pressed a shaking hand to his mouth, pouring another glass, “He was the first. To – to penetrate me.”

The attorney reached over to pull a few tissues free from the kitchen’s box, handing them over to him to wipe his face with. Tony gave him a small smile in thanks, facing him as he asked another question, “Was this with an object, fingers or penis?” He asked.

Tony dabbed at his face with the tissue, “Fingers.” He said, “Then penis.”

“And was this with lubrication?"

“No.” He continued to wipe when more tears just seemed to keep coming, “They used spit.”

“That explains more of your medical report,” The attorney commented, still writing away on his pad, “Clearly it wasn’t enough.”

“No.” Tony agreed, “But after Thor – took me, Clint – Natasha kept putting her fingers in while Thor was in me, and then Clint went in at the same time.”

“With Natasha’s fingers?”

“No. No she’d taken them out by then.” He scrunched the tissue up into a fist, “He went in with Thor. And then Thor told me not to talk when I told him to stop.”

“What did you say? Exactly?”

“I think I just said _‘stop’,_ but he kissed me and told me shut up. And after Clint and him were done, I was pulled to the floor and they just – it kinda – ” He stopped. “Do I have to?”

“I do need you to, yes. If it helps, I can just prompt and you can say yes or no.”

He sighed, “Yeah. Okay.”

“Someone else penetrated you.” He nodded, “Was this Natasha?”

“No.” He shook his head, “She never. Apart from her fingers.”

“Okay.”

“No that’s not true.” He suddenly remembered, “She did make me lick. Between her legs.”

“When you say ‘make’ … ?”

“She held me down.” He clarified, “And Clint put his foot on me too, to keep me down there.”

“And who took you on the floor?”

“Steve. While he was, Bruce put his penis in my mouth until he – ejaculated. Then Steve finished.” He swallowed down his bile, “Then they cleaned me up and put my clothes on for me and started talking and laughing while I just sat there.” Now that he’d finished, he felt exhausted, like he’d run a marathon instead of simply relaying something terrible that had happened to him.

“Have you confronted them on this?” The attorney asked and he shrugged.

“They think it was just sex.” He said, “They think it was just some big, fun bonding time.” His voice cracked, “And yet here _I_ am, terrified to be in the same room with them and I just – “ He felt that exhaustion bleed through him and turned away, “I’m sorry, are we done?” He asked, “I just – I can’t do this right now, I’m – I need to stop.”

“Okay that’s fine.” The attorney said, “We can stop.” He stood, closing his pad, “I’ll make an electronic version of this by the end of the day, for your written allegation, and I’ll let you read it over for any amendments before giving it to the Judge.”

Tony just nodded, trying hard not to heave, and he heard the attorney let himself out. A second later, the door opened again and he heard heels click over the floor. He barely turned before Pepper had him in her arms and he shook and shook, holding onto her tight.

“It’s okay,” She whispered, “You’re okay. You did really well.” He clung to her, letting her continue to whisper assurances in his ear until the shaking stopped.

.

Two weeks ago, Tony had told Pepper, Happy and Rhodey the truth about what had happened to him. Rhodey hadn’t known about any of it until then and so, his reaction had been the most explosive. Happy had simply sat stock still, staring at his hands and letting Rhodey’s pacing and anger speak for all of them.

Pepper had first insured that Tony was okay before getting to immediate work on getting this allegation out, as per his request. He’d explained what he’d wanted and she’d delivered. It had then taken the both of them to hold Rhodey back, both audibly and physically, from going after the Avengers.

“You’ve been living with these assholes?!”

“I’m doing this legally, Rhodey,” Tony had protested, “Legally!” For Sofia’s sake. And for his.

“Where was I when it happened?” Rhodey’d demanded, “Was I in the country?”

“Even if you had been, what difference would it have made?” Tony had asked, “You weren’t in the car, there’s nothing you could have done!” At that, Rhodey had clearly been reminded of just what _had_ happened and he’d almost flung himself toward the door again, “Rhodey please! Don’t! I need you to hold your temper!”

It‘d been then that Rhodey had cried, tears spilling over in a way that Tony hadn’t seen since their teen years, and that alone had been shocking enough to stop all of them from even trying to speak.

“Christ Tony,” He’d choked, “I spoke to them recently. They said you were acting out after you’d all bonded and if I could talk to you about it,” Tony had stared at him, mute with shock, “They said you’d _bonded_ and I’d agreed with them. I said you probably were acting out. Because it’s what you do _._ ”

He’d sniffed and Tony had pressed his lips together, “You didn’t know,” He’d whispered and Pepper had put a hand on Rhodey’s shoulder.

“We’re going to deal with this, Rhodey,” She’d told him but he’d shrugged her off and had stormed out. It had taken a few hours for Tony to realise that he’d acted so angrily out of self-blame and had made it a personal mission to show him that he had nothing to do with it.

This was all the Avengers’ doing. Not his.

A week after he’d told them, he’d reported the rape to the General Justice Court and had been told that while his allegation was being processed, he’d need to prepare a written version of the events and to get an attorney to defend it.

He’d done everything asked of him in silence and in private, praying that he could take this to court without the media getting wind. Unfortunately, not two days after his meeting with the attorney, he received a news alert from Jarvis that told him how his case had been announced to the world.

“Shit – ”

He switched the television on, watching a reporter mid-talk about his case and the allegation he’d made like she had any right to it, his mind shutting down as he listened.

 _“Just weeks after his personal driver was accused of hitting an alleged illegitimate daughter of his, Billionaire Tony Stark has publicly alleged that the Avengers sexually assaulted him as a group during their car ride home from the Golden Function; eight months ago this Wednesday, on the 5 th of April 2013.”_ She was stood outside the Justice Court despite the case still in the workings, _“The announcement has seemed so bizarre that there the natural assumption has been that it may have been created simply to draw fire off of his driver. However, we are still waiting on more information to see how this case will be dealt with – "  
_

His phone rang as he watched and he answered it on auto-pilot, knowing it was Pepper without even hearing her speak, “I’m always _Billionaire_ Tony Stark when it’s something they don’t like.” He mused and he heard her sigh.

“I’ll find out how they knew,” She told him, “And someone’s getting sued for divulging it.”

“It’s free speech.” Tony reminded her, “And I’m in the public eye. There’s nothing to sue, it was bound to happen.” He cut the line over her protest, putting the phone down and watching as the news switched to the death of Sir Terrance Porter, the inventor of Xypher Phones and the diamond elevator.

Evidently his rape allegation was more important than this.

He scoffed, turning it off and putting his head in his hands only to almost fly out of his seat when the doors suddenly burst open.

“What the hell is this?” Clint demanded, holding a plastic and transparent folder in one hand. Tony saw the bold print over its front page, ‘ **Anthony Edward Stark v The Avengers** ’. “Are you fucking serious? Wasn’t there another way to draw attention off?”

He stared at him for a moment before eventually registering that Clint believed what the reporter did. That Tony had done this and had lied to help Happy.

“Apparently it worked wonders,” He said coolly, standing and putting as much space between them as he could. Clint destroyed that by marching forward however.

“Christ you never think do you,” He snapped, taking a step for every step Tony took back, “My full-name is sensitive information, I work for a secret agency for fuck’s sake!”

“I’m aware of that,” Tony said slowly, deflecting, “I’m also aware that you take webinars regularly too. Have you ever had any on sexual assault?”

Clint stopped, looking at him, “What?”

“Have you ever had any on sexual assault?” He repeated, “On reading the signs and on recognising victims?”

For a moment, he wondered what his words might hit, but then Clint just scoffed; disgusted, “You’re certifiable, Stark. You know that?” He slammed the folder down on the nearest desk and walked out, “Get rid of this.” He ordered as he did and Tony felt his throat constrict as he watched him leave.

Get rid of this? No way in hell.

He assumed more of them would be after his head and packed up as quickly as he could, leaving the tower and heading toward his mansion. He gave an order to Jarvis for it to be locked down and sat alone in his room, reading the folder that Clint had left behind.

It was a pre-case file and was pretty substandard. He’d seen it all before, but he still felt something cold and solid fall through him as he took in every word. Perhaps because it was about him and not a stranger or employee, this time.

 

**209 U.S. (2014)**

 

 **ANTHONY. EDWARD, STARK**

**v.**

**THE AVENGERS**

General Justice Court of United States

To be Decided 09 January 2014.

 

Jason M. Wallace, Attorney of New York, to argue the cause for petitioner. With him during the brief was Sct. E. Ross, Secretary of State.

Nicholas Joseph Fury, Head of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division of government, to argue case for defendants.

Allegation reported on 01 November 2013 to Maria. P. Donalds, Assistant Attorney at General Justice Court.

Alleged assault dated 05 April 2013 at 08:48pm.

CLAIMANT Anthony Edward Stark

DEFENDANTS Steven Grant Rogers. Bruce Banner. Natalia Alianovna Romanova. Clinton Francis Barton. Thor.

 

 

Below this was his written statement which made him realise that this file hadn’t been for Clint but for Fury. Or had possibly been given to him _by_ Fury.

He wasn’t surprised the case would be argued by him of all people but there was still a part of him that felt stung and humiliated that their effective boss would be asking him questions about his rape in Court. That he’d chosen to defend those against Tony and not Tony himself, essentially stating that he didn’t believe that it was true either.

Or that he did, but thought having the Avengers around was more useful than not.

He spent most of the evening, and went well into the night, thinking about it all and agonising over what to do. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to officially accuse them. Maybe he should have just gone to Fury privately.

Maybe he should have told the Avengers what they’d done and have their consequence be guilt.

And yet, they’d been told now what they’d done, and clearly didn’t believe it. And Fury didn’t either. Not to mention, the entire reason he’d broken his silence in the first place had been to help a high school girl that was hurting so much she thought dying was easier.

And he couldn’t think of anything worse than being alone with the Avengers and telling them that they’d raped him.

Since his sobriety, he’d gotten rid of all alcohol in the mansion and had cancelled his regular orders, and yet for the first time in months he really wanted a drink. He refused to however, his fear of getting drunk outweighing anything else, and he let himself fall asleep when his eyes eventually drooped.

He woke with a start the next morning, to almost a hundred missed calls and text messages from each of the Avengers, barring Thor, and from Rhodey and Pepper.

He deleted them all and threw up in the en-suite.

Happy was in the mansion with him already, and so obviously hadn’t seen the need to text, but when Tony got up for breakfast and padded around him, he looked concerned and watched him brew some coffee.

They didn’t speak however and Tony was called again as he bit into some dry toast. He saw Steve’s name and swallowed past a tight throat, supposing that he should at least see what was happening; on the very unlikely chance that it was an emergency.

He stepped out of the kitchen and into one of the bathrooms to answer, sitting on the toilet seat and hunching over, “Hello?”

“Tony!” Steve sounded far too loud for this early in the morning and there was the sound of yelling and questions being called over him, “Tony where the hell are you?”

If he had to guess, Tony would assume he’d tried to go for a run and had been swarmed by the Press, “I’m in my mansion. Where I’ve been for months now.”

“So you were just going to spring this on us and leave us to tidy the mess?” Steve demanded, angry now, and the yelling was muffled when he obviously managed to shut the Tower doors. Tony didn’t say anything and after a while, he sighed, “Look. I understand wanting to protect Happy but wasn – ”

 _“Go to hell, Steve!”_ He snapped and he hung up with a wordless cry, throwing his phone to the floor, “Go to hell.” He croaked to himself, putting his head in his hands.

Maybe he should have found another way to help Sofia, because he wasn’t sure either he or his name was going to come out of this unscathed.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter before the legal proceedings start.
> 
> Most of the Judges and Courts and so on will be artistic creativity and I'll use the excuse that I don't know enough about US court proceedings so I'll create my own version in the MCU. 
> 
> The case will probably be sensational anyway, considering the people involved, so it won't be standard :D


	3. Chapter 3

.

Attorney J M. Wallace was as calm and professional as he’d been when he’d first taken Tony’s statement down, despite now being faced with a camera crew and knowing that he’d be staring the Avengers themselves down in only a few minutes. He had a hand on the small of Tony’s back and led him up the steps to the courthouse, ensuring that they both kept their heads down against the slew of reporters trying to get their headlines.

When inside, the building itself was marginally empty, but that would soon change once the session took place.

Only a few days ago he’d been sat in his mansion, watching as the news had massacred his character and had brought up nearly every instance of public embarrassment that he’d been in; at least until Happy had switched the television off and taken him hiking. Now, he was back in New York, and felt as though this life had taken a complete 180 turn without letting him hold on for the ride.

He felt sick.

“I hate that it’s like this.” He murmured, half to himself and half to Pepper, who’d also pushed her way past the crowd to follow him inside.

“You’re in the public eye, Tony,” She said, frowning behind her at each camera, uncaring if they caught her expression in their lens, “These vultures don’t care about sensitivity if they can glorify what’s happening.”

“Glorify.” He repeated softly, turning away and looking around the lobby, “Doesn’t sound so glorious when they publish it.”

There were stacks of newspapers in the rack by the receptionist’s desk and Pepper neatly stepped in front of it when she saw him look, “Don’t read any of it.” She said, which meant she had herself and knew what they said.

He swallowed, his throat dry, and nodded slowly, “Are the … ?” He trailed off but she understood anyway.

“Happy didn’t want to drive them,” She answered, “And Hugh is suspended pending investigation. And is a witness.” She sighed, “So I’m not sure how they’re getting here. But they’ll be here.”

“How can you be so sure.” He hugged himself, aware that there were probably hundreds of photographs of his hunched over back being taken right now but there was nowhere else they could stand. Not until they knew which courtroom they’d be in.

“I’ve been talking to Director Fury,” She took her phone out as she spoke, clacking her nails over the screen as she typed, “They’ll be here.”

“Mr Wallace?” The receptionist cut their conversation and called his Attorney forward. Wallace left them to be given their room’s name and once he had it, he turned back to them and gestured down the hall, past the public restrooms.

“This way, Mr Stark.” Tony followed him, hesitant. He could hear muffled sounds of reporters yelling ‘Mr Stark’ as he walked away but ignored it and left the brightly lit lobby for a much darker hallway.

As he walked, out of sight from the public now, he let his posture drop and his fear show. He felt like a criminal on his way to the noose and the closer he got to the courtrooms, the more his heart pounded, until eventually he had to stop and try to calm down. He was breathing hard however, shaky and dizzy.

“Tony?” Pepper stopped herself when she noticed, looking at him.

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” He said, “Maybe I should – I mean, I could – ” He paused, taking in a breath, “What would it look like? If I backed out now?”

Teary-eyed, Pepper put a hand on his shoulder, and he knew what she wanted to say. That no one would judge him, that they were there for him, that the world would forget and so on. But instead, she looked at Wallace for the honest answer that was needed here.  

“It would look like you were a liar, Or an instigator of scandal.” Wallace told him, “And if you’re planning on helping Ms Hannigan with her case as well, I wouldn’t recommend it. Not this far in.”

At the reminder of Sofia’s case, Tony straightened and blinked to clear his vision, “Right. Let’s go then.”

Pepper smiled sadly, her hand still on his shoulder, but she didn’t say anything and just stayed beside him until they reached the waiting room Wallace had probably been asked to take them to.

As they passed by another door on the way, Tony saw a courtroom through its tiny window, and though he’d been in one plenty of times before, today he felt fifteen and alone. Terrified. He glanced away and followed Wallace into the room they’d been given.

“Would you like to go through your statement again, Mr Stark?” He was asked but he shook his head.

“No. Thanks. I – I think I just need to sit.” He hovered by the doorway, looking past the sofas to the parking lot that was outside. It was such a beautiful day. Seemed a shame to be here, of all places, when he could have been out flying or going for a run. Happy’s hiking expedition had been nice too and he wished he could go back, to where all there had been was nature and companionship.

But this was important and he had to be here instead. He had to focus.

Their session started at 12:00pm but they’d arrived over half an hour early to avoid what they’d assumed would have been paparazzi traffic. Luckily, Jarvis had had the forethought to behave as he’d done the day Tony had gone to the hospital and had deployed suits around the car like active barriers. He’d keep them safe and had ensured that they could at least drive without getting into an accidental hit-and-run.

It hadn’t been much protection from the eggs that had been thrown at them however. Or the slurs shouted and sights of protestors holding signs for him to read. He’d tried not to look but some of them were burned into his memory.

**GO HOME STARK, YOU’RE DRUNK**

**TONY STARK – PUSHY AND HORNY** **≠ RAPE**

**911? MY FRIENDS ARE MORE POPULAR THAN ME, HOW CAN I TAKE THEM DOWN A PEG? OH THAT’S EASY! ACCUSE THEM OF RAPE!**

**IF THOR WANTED TO FUCK ME I WOULDN’T BE COMPLAINING**

Halfway through the drive, Pepper had wordlessly darkened the windows, both blocking out the signs and blocking Tony from reading them. Except for the few days that he’d been away, she’d been beside him, and he was forever grateful for that. Even when Wallace had called before to say that the Judge had read the statements and that, due to the sensationalisation of the case, had decided to take it straight to trial, she’d sat with him and had explained that they’d expected this.

Going straight to trial was daunting sure but it also saved them from having to wait months or years like any other person would have had to, mainly because the courts probably wanted this over as soon as possible too. However, it also meant that the Avengers were going to immediately be put on the offence and he wasn’t sure he would come out in one piece once they were done.

“Mr Stark?” After a sharp knock, the door opened and a young woman peered her head in, looking at each of them before focusing on him, “The Judge would like to see you.” Tony blinked, glancing at Wallace, “Alone please.”

“Um.” He stood, still looking at his attorney, who was frowning himself.

“This is Judge … ?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, and the woman looked at him.

“Judge Coldan.” She said and Wallace nodded to himself before giving Tony a nod as well, gesturing that it was okay to go. Clearly Coldan wasn’t a known corrupt, which was comforting, but he steeled himself for an attempt at intimidation anyway. The woman led him back out into the hallway and down the offices toward the end, gesturing that he go into the third from the left himself.

He knocked, heard a brusque ‘come in’, and opened the door.

“Ah Mr Stark,” Judge Coldan was a late middle-aged, hard-lined man that bizarrely reminded him of Ian McShane. He was dressed in his robe already and stood when he entered, gesturing that he come in and take a seat, “Please. Come sit down.”

Tony did so, glancing around the office half-heartedly. It was sparse, with a few framed photographs facing away from him on the desk, and an embossed certificate nailed to the wall. There was a single plant pot in the corner too but it was fake, forever beautiful without any effort taken to maintain it that way.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Coldan continued, sitting down himself again and smiling formally, “Though, I’m sure it would have been nicer under different circumstances.”

Tony returned his smile, just as formally, “I’m sure.” He repeated.

“Yes. Well.” Coldan didn’t react to how flat he’d sounded, “Here we are. And here you are. At the front of the most televised rape case in the history of America.”

Tony stiffened at his tone, “Is this the part where you ask me to renounce my case and save myself the embarrassment?”

Coldan paused, though he didn’t seem too taken aback by that, “If you renounce a case like this, so far in, it won’t be _embarrassment_ you’ll be getting.” He said. “A false accusation of sexual assault is a crime itself.”

“It’s not false.” Tony said immediately, despite knowing he couldn’t attest to that just yet.

“We’ll save that for court, shall we.” Coldan sad, “And I’ll get to the point. Truth be told, I only asked you here as a courtesy that I extend to all my ‘famous’ clients. A warning, if you will.” He sat back, folding his arms across his chest, “There will be cameras within my courtroom today. And there will be reporters writing everything that happens.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Squinting at him, Coldan leant forward, “It’s one thing to be in the spotlight all your life Mr Stark, but it’s another to be under the magnifying glass in court. I suggest you prepare yourself for it.”

“I will.” Not quite relaxing, Tony forced his anger away. Clearly, Coldan was just a blunt man, and probably hadn’t meant anything by what he’d implied.

“Good. I’d rather this not become a circus.”

“Right.” Tony rolled his tongue over his teeth, “Can I ask, then, uh. Your honour.” Coldan inclined his head, “Why allow cameras in, in the first place?”

“That was out of my hands.” Coldan said, “I disagree with the practice but considering the Accused, several Senators ordered it to be allowed. I’ll admit they were quite vocal about it.”

Tony blinked slowly. Assclowns. Of course they were vocal to his shame.

“Fair enough.” He stood, smoothing his trousers down when they rose, “I’ll go and wait for the session to start then.”

“Please do. And know this,” He met his gaze, giving him a stern look, “Regardless of what I personally think of you, I will show no bias in court.”

“I didn’t expect you to,” He tucked his chair back against the desk, pausing for just a moment to ask, “What _do_ you personally think of me? Just for my own curiosity?” He’d heard so many different variations over the last month after all.

“I won’t answer that,” Coldan frowned, “It could go either way and I would not want to be accused of behaviour I have never indulged in.”

With that remark, Tony knew he was dismissed, and he left the room only to almost bump into the woman from before. She gave him a tense smile and led him back to Wallace and Pepper, shutting the door once they were there.

Pepper was immediately on her feet when she saw him, looking concerned, “Tony,”

“What did Judge Coldan want?” Wallace spoke over her and Tony glanced between them both.

“To warn me,” He murmured, “About all the cameras and stuff. Said it’s a courtesy he gives to all his ‘famous’ Accusers.” Wallace cleared his throat, “Sorry. Victims.” He corrected himself, well aware by now that everything had connotations and that he had to be careful how he spoke.

“Bit of a pointless warning,” Pepper drawled, raising her eyebrows, “Seeing as we had to crawl through that sea of reporters just to get in here.”

Tony shrugged, “Yeah, well. I guess it’s his shtick.” He sat over one of the sofas, glancing around, “Is Rhodey on his way?”

“Happy’s bringing him,” Pepper said, “They’re probably trapped in said ‘sea’.”

“Right.” He twisted his hands together, his heart pounding once again as the clock ticked closer to noon, and suddenly he wished that this was all a dream. He wished he hadn’t done this, any of this, at all. That he’d kept his mouth shut and kept his head down.

_I would not want to be accused of behaviour I have never indulged in._

Despite claiming that that meeting had been to ‘warn’ him, Tony felt deep down that Coldan had brought him there only to subtly reveal how he felt about this case. And clearly, he was on the Avengers’ side.

He wasn’t sure if mentioning that to Wallace would do any good however and felt like he was going to throw up the more he thought about it, so instead, he just ducked his head down to stare at his shoes.

They were black, boots that he rarely wore, and he could see his reflection in the polish. They were the smartest thing that he was wearing too, having been advised to not dress business-like at all today. Apparently the smarmy-look didn’t go down well with Juries. And, seeing as he was accusing them, he’d had to avoid anything linked to the Avengers as well.

Thus, he was in a black button-down shirt and trousers, the glow of his arc reactor on show as a reminder that he was still Iron Man and a ‘hero’. It was supposed to make him look honest but instead, he just felt vulnerable; like he was hiding behind a façade of clothes in the hopes that strangers would believe his story.

A tissue suddenly blocked his vision and he blinked, looking at Pepper and taking what she’d offered wordlessly, dabbing at his eyes to avoid leaving them red-rimmed for the cameras. He sniffed, startling out of his thoughts at a knock at the door and watching as the same woman, who he assumed must be a guard or an assistant, opened the door and held it open for them.

“Mr Stark? It’s time now.” She said, tilting her head to one side, “If you’ll follow me?”

He stood, glancing at Wallace the once and reaching down to take Pepper’s hand in his. He squeezed it when they left the waiting area and entered the courtroom together but then she had to leave them to sit in the stands behind and he felt empty without her.

She couldn’t sit beside him however, he knew that, and it wasn’t as though she was miles away either. Her bench was only a foot behind him, a wooden gate all that separated him from everyone else, but he wished he had a hand to squeeze still as he took his seat beside Wallace at the front; facing the Judge’s podium and the witness stand.

As soon as he sat, others began to file in when the doors at the back opened as well and the previously silent courtroom was then filled with the hustle-and-bustle. Reporters, members of the public, protestors and so on all pushed their way in to get a seat.

He kept his back turned to it all, keeping a fixed gaze on a stained spot on the wall and steadying his breathing as best he could.

“Keep calm, Mr Stark,” Wallace told him, “Remember. All you have to do is be honest about what happened. Nothing less.”

“Sure,” Tony breathed, “Easy.”

He took in a deep breath, slowly, and then subconsciously held it when the side doors opened and one-by-one, the Avengers walked in. The room hushed when the public noticed as well and he felt bitter at the fact that nearly every person here was sure that they weren’t guilty. They looked solemn enough to reinforce that too, each of them were dressed very, very smartly with the men in tailored suits and Natasha in a black dress, and not one of them looked his way as they sat on the bench that they’d been assigned.

He stared at them, his eyes stinging, but he pressed his lips together and forced his gaze away when he was ignored. A camera flashed in his eyes as soon as he did however and he blinked, staring at the cameraman who’d obviously just gotten his ‘money-shot’ right there.

“Stay back behind the barriers,” A security guard stepped forward, warning the man back, “Keep within your guided areas.”

“Sorry.” Not at all sounding it, the man put his camera down and stepped back, looking at Tony, “Nice puppy-dog face Stark. It’s a kicker.” Tony just stared.

“Ignore him.” Wallace said and he looked away, looking down at the table instead. “You’re not here to PR yourself. Your job now is to just let me do mine.”

He nodded, “I know.” A moment later, his phone buzzed and he glanced down at it. It was a message from Rhodey, saying: _‘We’re here. Behind you every step. Always.’_

He tightened his grip over the screen before replying, _‘Thx.’_ He couldn’t stop his fingers from shaking enough to let him type any more than that and he watched as the clock ticked from 11:59 to 12:00.

“All rise.” The Clerk called not a second later and for a moment, his mind blanked, but then he realised what that meant and stood with everyone else. Coldan entered and sat behind the podium, straightening his wig and sorting the papers that he’d brought with him over his desk. Once he was done, he looked to the Clerk with a nod. “Be seated.”

Sitting, Tony wound his hands together under the desk, digging his nails into his skin to ground himself. Here we go.

Still standing, the Clerk addressed them all, announcing the case:

“The court calls forward the case of Anthony Edward Stark v The Avengers; Steven Grant Rogers, Natalia Alianovna Romanova, Clinton Francis Barton, Thor God of Thunder and Bruce Banner. The Defendants stand accused of grievous bodily harm, sexual assault and forcible rape. On all counts, the Defendants have pleaded Not Guilty.” The Clerk paused, glancing down at the paper before him, “The court now calls Attorney James Wallace for his opening statement.”

Wallace stood immediately, leaving Tony and their table and walking forward to place himself at the front of the courtroom, at the centre of everything, “Thank you Mr Jeffords,” He said, turning to the Jury,

“Before I begin, I ask that the ladies and gentlemen of the Jury close their minds to what has possibly been heard before in the tabloids and so forth, and focus on the case in the here-and-now.”

The Jury, consisting of around sixteen men and four women, sat impassively, looking at Wallace only as he continued.

“The State of New York law defines rape as the ‘non-consensual sexual intercourse committed against the victim through physical force or some other duress’, i.e drugs or alcohol. By _statute_ , intoxication precludes the victim from consenting to the sexual act. 

My client, Mr Stark, is a part of a famous group of ‘heroes’ called the Avengers … as you are all probably aware. They are, for all intends and purposes, a superhero team that have saved lives countless times. However. Mr Stark felt that the world should know what their heroes are capable of, which is why he decided to come forward about what happened to him at their hands.

On the 5th of April 2013, the Avengers left the gala more popularly known as ‘the Golden Function’ together and went to Avengers Tower in Mr Stark’s limousine. On the journey that took place, Mr Stark was then assaulted by each member within the vehicle and was left with injuries that he had to see a doctor about the next day. In November 2013, after seeing a sexual therapy group during the months before, Mr Stark accused the Avengers of this assault officially.

He made this decision, one he knew may cause a public outcry, because he felt the world had a right to know and he could not keep such a crime hidden anymore. It is a brave decision, though bravery is clearly not something that Mr Stark lacks in, considering his profession.”

There were a few titters of laughter at that.

“This case is clearly emotionally charged considering who the Accused are and it seems natural to want to disbelieve it, which is why I will first display the evidence of the assault and present any witnesses that will confirm the lack of consent that this encounter had. Since coming forward, Mr Stark’s company has seen their stock-lines drop and he has been drug through the mud repeatedly, but has persevered and is here today.

Therefore, it is clear to see that my client has _nothing_ to gain from accusing his teammates of assault and the only logical conclusion is that he is telling the truth.” With his statement done, Wallace turned to the Judge, “Your honour.”

“Thank you, Mr Wallace,” Coldan said, waiting until he was sat back down again before looking at the Clerk.

“You never shared that with me,” Tony whispered to Wallace.

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. A good opening statement does not win a case.”

The Clerk spoke again before Tony could reply and addressed the room a second time, “The court now calls forward Attorney David Michaels for the Defending statement.”

Tony blinked, confused, “Michaels? I thought – Fury was defending them.”

“Must be a last minute change.” Wallace suggested, though he was frowning too.

Michaels stood and left the bench. He’d been sat beside Thor and had been practically hidden behind his bulk, which was probably why Tony hadn’t seen him. He also reminded Tony of Justin Hammer as he walked, buttoning the front of his blazer closed as he did, and smiling at the Jury like they were all old pals.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury,” He started, his voice deeper than Tony might have expected, “I won’t insult you by repeating what was said about tabloids and so on but will instead, begin by taking your attention back to April 2012, not 13. Picture if you will, New York under attack. Aliens from space, creatures killing and rampaging. And who saved us?”

He flung an arm out toward the Avengers, “My clients did. And they did so with no regard for their own personal safety, so I ask you. Does this sound like a group who would rape and attack a fellow teammate when said teammate is the most volatile of them all?”

He paused for effect.

“Now. My clients are adamant that the sexual interaction that they had in the limousine was consensual, fully, and many of them are honest to a fault.” His smile widened, “Blushing Captain America for example.”

There was more laughter this time and Steve ducked his head down, embarrassed. Tony felt his heart clench in his chest instead, contrasting to everyone else’s reaction.

“Order.” Coldan spoke and the laughter died down.

“Thank you, your Honour,” Michaels smiled, “Now seeing as honesty is what is truly on trial here – ”

“Objection!” Wallace called, “Trivialising the crimes to the Jury!”

“Overruled.” Coldan waved a hand, sounding bored, “Continue Mr Michaels.”

 “Thank you.” Looking as though he hadn’t just been interrupted, Michaels started again, “Now seeing as honesty is what is _truly_ on trial here, as is in any case, I ask that the ladies and gentlemen of the Jury compare both the Defendants and the Claimant. Only one has a history of publicly lying and-or creating stunts for media attention. And two of my clients are spies that prefer to keep a low profile. I ask you to fill in the blanks.

As mentioned before, yes, New York law does have statute that relates to intoxication and sexual assault but this statute is so vague and often so misinterpreted that practically any individual who has been drinking can claim being unable to consent. This is an age-old story that speaks to me more about regret. An individual drinks, performs sexual acts, and then feels regretful the next morning. They then believe they must accuse someone of rape in order to feel better about themselves. Mr Stark is no exception to this rule and is in fact, in some ways, an example of it.

He is no stranger to sexual interaction and certainly not with more than one individual at a time either. Therefore, my conclusion stands that he simply felt remorseful at having drunkenly flung himself at his teammates, and decided to accuse them months later before they could vote him out themselves.”

With that, he nodded to the Clerk and addressed the Judge, “Your Honour.” Returning to his seat just as Wallace had done before.

Tony’s face burned hot, having started to the moment Michaels had begun his statement, but he kept still and quiet and watched as Coldan cleared his throat to speak, “Well. Both statements have now been given, has the Jury accepted this?”

The Jury’s spokesman, a late forty looking man, stood, “It has, your Honour.”

“Then I declare that this case can proceed.” He squinted down at Tony’s table, “Mr Wallace. If you please?”

“Yes, your Honour,” Standing Wallace left the table again and stood in the centre, “I would like to call Miss Virginia Potts as my first witness.”

Tony exhaled, glancing at the Avengers and seeing all five of them looking at him now. He met their gazes out of surprise more than anything else but wasn’t shocked at the anger he saw there.

Eventually, he glanced away, his face cooling against the conditioned air.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all - apologies for the delay. This is a very difficult fic to write and I hope I do it justice.
> 
> Also, as said before, my knowledge of court proceedings is limited to the UK and then even more so on top of that so please excuse any inaccuracies!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Guess This Is Our Reward](https://archiveofourown.org/works/806356) by [AuthorInDistress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorInDistress/pseuds/AuthorInDistress)




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